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I'm in heaven. I received a very special delivery yesterday...Anya's perfume!
The first one I smelled was Pan. The first whiff told me this was something very different, I went straight away and put some on my husband. Has anyone ever read the book "The Secret Garden"? It's about a beautiful garden which was hidden away for years and was discovered by two children. Pan takes you into the very far corner of this garden where the old herb patch is. The first sharp warm herbal smell which tells you you've stepped in some overgrown thyme or lavender, further in you discover the mossy garden wall, some old broken clay pots, an old tree stump and a robin's nest in an old kettle. But it doesn't stop there, it takes you to the garden shed where you don a pair of old leather gardening gloves and grab a rusty trowel and go back to clear the herb patch of weeds. The perfume settles in and then it lasts and lasts becoming warmer and more familiar as it blends with the human smell MMMH of my husband!
The next one, (I could hardly wait) I tried was Fairchild. I put some on my 17 month old daughter's hand as well (she is always begging me for perfume). I don't usually like floral, and I smell this expecting a thick heady floral note, but what I get instead is a surprise... I was lucky enough to visit the botanical gardens on the lush volcanic island of St Vincent in the Carribean. Fairchild brought me back there, the warm evening sun, the walls of different varieties of jasmine, the ylang ylang, the feeling of wanting to stay there forever, me pestering the guide every time the breeze brought a different smell to my nose, and behind it all the fresh smell of the sea and fertile volcanic earth where ever you go. Then just when I expected it to be on it's last legs and down to the dryout base notes there's this note, it's so light, so high, so sweet and citrusy, I can almost see the colour yellow wafting from my wrist. How did you do that Anya... Oh real artisan of perfumery?
BTW When I smelled it on my daughters hand, it was so different it almost smelled like a different perfume. It smelled pink, sweet and innocent and she loved it, she kept smelling her hand and going MMMMH!
The next one was Riverside, I left it a good few hours before I tried this one, I was still getting back from the carribean, lol. The first thing I thought of was 4711, the old perfume I loved so much. This moved quickly into something much more familiar. It it started to smell exactly like the big bouquets of flowers my mother used to gather in her own garden after the summer rain, the different varieties of old roses, the orange blosom, and the fragrant green leaves. But then there is something else that brings me back to that time, my mother usually had some scones or some vanilla biscuits baking, and she always smelled of lux soap. So if you take the fresh garden bouquet, the warm baking vanilla smell and the clean soapy but slightly musky smell of a mother as she leans over to put the flowers on the table, you have Riverside.
And one more thing, Anya, I got your "The real Mc Coy" pain relief oil just when myself and my husband were wondering what we were going to put on our 3 year old son's chicken pox to stop them hurting and stop him screaming (he's not good with pain). I literally took the bottle out of the box and went and put some on a couple of the blisters. He stopped crying immediately. He wanted me to put a dab on every single spot. I think I'm going to need a bigger bottle next time! Thanks Anya!
Ruth Ruane,
One happy customer!
Best New Perfume House of 2006 - from Ayala's Smelly Blog
For the most part, this year has been quite disappointing in my opinion in terms of new releases. One refreshing standout was the launch of Anya’s Garden – a line inspired by botanical gardens from around the world. The perfumer, Anya McCoy, is also a landscape architect, and the director of the Artisan Natural Perfumery Guild. It is not a surprise that her scents are dedicated to gardens.
I love the concept as well as the perfumes. These are complex, well structured creations that are original and innovative and use unusual notes in an otherwise classic structure. The results are quite stunning, with complexity and imagery that sucks you in and transports you to their own realms. My favourite is Pan, of course, as it uses goat hair tincture, moss, Seville lavender absolute, hay and is deeply amebry as well as aromatically rejuvenating. Fairchild is also quite a standout, with its myriads of intertwining notes of exotic and narcotic flora singing in counterpoint.
I can’t say I smelled all the perfumes that my fellow members of the Guild are crafting with much love and attention to detail, but McCoy is a great example and a leader in the field. I think I ought to also give Anya the award for the most promising perfumer for 2007, as I can’t wait to smell what else comes under her hands!
I love it and wish you all a full and fragrant year, just as the image suggests!
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